The current structure for providing health care coverage in the United States relies on both public and private (group and non-group) health insurance options. Nationally, 60 percent of the non-elderly population have employer-based health insurance, 18 percent have public coverage, and a small private non-group market exists. In 2008, over 17 percent of the non-elderly population were uninsured. The distribution of health coverage varies by state due to the availability of employer-based coverage, the scope of public coverage, regulations in the non-group market, and poverty rates (Table 2).
- At the state level, uninsured rates range from less than 10 percent in Hawaii and Massachusetts to over 25 percent in Texas and New Mexico. Uninsured rates tend to be higher in the Southern and Western regions of the country.
- The two states with the largest populations, California and Texas, also have among the highest uninsured rates.
- The size of employers and the types of industries that are dominant in states determine the availability of employer-based coverage--smaller employers and those in the service, construction, and agriculture industries are less likely to offer coverage.
- States in the Northeast and Midwest tend to have higher levels of employer-based coverage than Southern and Western states. Employer-based coverage rates vary from 74 percent in New Hampshire to 47 percent in New Mexico.
- Public coverage enrollment is related to eligibility levels and the poverty level in states. The South and some states in the Northeast have higher levels of public program enrollment, ranging from at least 23 percent in Maine, Mississippi, and District of Columbia to under 11 percent in New Hampshire, Utah, and Nevada.
- The non-group market represents a small share of the insured in all states, but states in the Midwest tend to have higher levels of non-group coverage than other states.
View related interactive table on statehealthfacts.org
